


Deep Sea

by Vanu



Category: Beast: The Primordial, Changeling: The Lost, Promethean: The Created, Vampire: The Masquerade, World of Darkness (Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Study (?), Chronicles of Darkness, Creative Liberties, Crossover, Gen, I don't know anything about London besides Google Maps, I have to reinterprate many parts of the lore for this to make sense, I hope it's good, I hope the summary isn't misunderstood, I mean, Old World of Darkness - Freeform, The beginning and the end could be considered as such, Though don't trust me with that, also, colloquialism, first fic, in YEARS, like SERIOUS creative liberties, not even the accents, or unique vocabulary, sorry for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27232792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanu/pseuds/Vanu
Summary: Cold and Dark. Empty and Silent. Calm and DeadNo matter from which view or point you see it, deep within the sea there is no light, no time and no change. Everything is the same, and so it's a perfect place for him.Yet, it seems so many sparks and lights of his past want to follow him------------------------------------------------------------During 1996 Mithras finally awakes from his Torpor, just to found his land completely stolen from him.
Relationships: Original Character(s) & Mithras, Original Character(s) & Original Character(s)





	Deep Sea

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not too sure about what to say. I mean, my first fic is about one of my favorites game series that I have stopped playing for around 2 years by now - I guess I just stopped having the same feel of wonder that I have with it before. So I consider this a goodbye letter to them because I doubt I will follow this fic at all. It's just a stand alone.  
> Nonenthenless, I hope whoever is reading this enjoy it too.

Cold, dark and empty

Infinitely vast, yet extremely calm with mellow silence. An abyssal watery dark, a world beyond the human experience, where the sands of time have stopped since long time – Or maybe they never were to begin with.

Maybe that was one reason he liked such abyss: An unreachable land, where he and his children could live in tranquility beyond the conflicts of their other kin and their crusades, of the jealous and fanatics, of the slayers and slaughtered. A world where he could rule with utmost peace with no other need besides protecting his treasure… Yes, his treasure. His beloved, coveted and lusted treasure. A monolith, a symbol, and the conclusion to his investigation of the ancient and forgotten past of the immortal World, protected by the impenetrable darkness of all manners of dirty, disgusting, _unwanted hands, and mouths, and eyes_ … Ah, indeed, the depths of the sea have always been his home from the beginning, even when he was nothing but a larva within mother’s embrace.

But even so… from time to time, moment to moment… he remembers. Small, hazy and fragmented visions, illusions from when he believed in the kind yet fragile shell of a man; in the cruel, dry and warm of the earth, the sun and shapes called humans; in a wight calling herself “mother”, another one “father” and another “brother”. They have long time vanished, swallowed by the dead, deep water of his mind… or supposed to do so, because even now, they cling to the surface, trying to shine, warm and bring noise to his calm land, to his even-hearted _**treasure**_ , to the dark shadow of his _**true**_ mother. Dreams are illusions, senseless delusions that afflict the hearts of his lesser and younger siblings, not the mind of one like him, not of one who walks within the dark, primordial abyss of life. So, Why? Why? _**Why do such blindly bright dreams follow him to the depths, to his home** **?** _

.

.

.

.

And in such a way, the ocean shakes, and quakes, and trembles. The once calm and even sea agitates as the bright and white storm begins, as his ruler and monarch is being lighted by dreams that aren’t drea- _No, they must be. Such life and man were nothing but mere figments, illusions from within the head of a mortal wraith, **of someone entering, of someone trying to steal me, to touch my treasure**_ … But even so, his children knew, knew the truth of their progenitor and what they had to do. They try to calm him, singing silent pleas reaching no ear and touches no reaching recognition at all. Sea serpents and dragons trying to calm their father as a futile work, a fruitless duty reaching no end because they understand, even if they reach no knowledge – The same heart, the same mind, the same soul and, such, the same _ **desire**_. A greediness, an absolute one that wants something lost to time and death, something that will never be fulfilled for such thing was complete and utterly prohibited when he born anew with the blood of the pale ancients and his hunter, when he met the little impostor as a child and when his first _~~friend~~_ child _~~resurrected~~_ born-

“ _Hey, everything okay?_ ”

However, his stormy soul wasn’t destined to be long-lived this time, as a voice interrupted the turbulent sea. A familiar sounding voice, one of his younger siblings speaking with doubt and caringness in his tone. And while the interruption was welcomed as the sea receded its turbulence slightly, the question was answered with silent wind.

“ _…Yeah, stupid question, nevermind that. Anyway, there is a really big problem outside. You see, lord Mithras just awakened from his Torpor and is… well, pissed is an understatement. So, what do we do?_ ”

The time has finally come, hasn’t it? The once ruler of the land has awakened from his dreamless sleep, one of his younger kin and pale ancients from old ages, and the only who escaped from his wrath when he came back to this ~~_his home_~~ land. Truth to be told, he has certainly hoped for such moment with substantial curiosity born from the stories told by the Doctor and flooding memories of the _~~devoured~~ preserved_ previous rulers. Under such uninterested violence and goofy ambition, what secrets laid unknown? What information was only heard and known by him? About his progenitor and the secret of their shared ancestor? About the Great Deluge and the Original One? Such sweet memories, _such sweet relics of the past, such sweet treasures. **Only for him to know, only for him to taste.**_

A new storm scourged even more the sea, but one of impatience and expected emotion this time and not of complex delusions. And while the Great Dragon wanted nothing but to skew his teeth into the mithraic mysteries, he has to wait. After all, such emotional behaviors will be quite the nuisance if the stories told by others are true and, besides, the too uncontrolled and open expressivity is nothing like him. With that conclusion, most of the storm receded into nothingness, only leaving slight waves perturbing the almost perfect dead tranquility.

“ _ **GuIdE hIm tO thE lAir**_ ” – Were his first word, with an inhuman cold monotone. Though it was more akin to an animal trying to vocalize human sounds than an actual voice.

“ _Sure about that? oh, you know, fuck it. Mithra looks like he is about to go into a Frenzy – Well, no actually, but you get the idea. Is better if you deal with him._ ”

Under normal circumstances, the Serpent would have been quite displeased about the informality, or better said, the inaccuracy of the words (A pedantry only known to him according to others). But this time, he will neglect the details - For now, he will wait within the waters, with the utmost peace and sedateness he could muster, for the arriving of the fake sun and the memories of his.

The sea quakes faintly in anticipation ~~_and something else_~~ ~~~~

* * *

To say that London has changed during his sleep was one of the biggest understatements within his experience. No, Mithras wasn’t surprised by the new additions, new architecture or how _physically_ the city has changed - That was completely unconcerning, and supposing another thing is an utter blasphemous mistake.

No, he was surprised by how _his kingdom was stolen_. From the moment he opened his eyes within his haven, he felt it - Every move, every achievement, every mark of history he has made has been obliterated under the indecipherable pressure he believed to feel, a constricting shadow that devoured everything. Such unsettling feeling only increased when the two half-fairies (Exchanged ones, he supposes) appeared just moments after he woke up. Whatever spell they were using, but the bone masks weren’t too fooling with that deformed appearance: One woman extremely tall and dirty, swollen as rock, and clearly with nonexistent tongue and hair; the other one converted into something similar to a monstrous stone bird and having the decency to wear something, even if that was nothing but a simple black hood.

Whatever was their allegiance, those two were quite startled by his awake presence, or at least the gargoyle was the one who showed their uneasiness with their stuttering speech, while the giant one didn’t even seem to register his presence. Nonetheless, what the stone said certainly caught his attention: Mithras has been asleep for 45 years since. 45 years, 45 ~~god-~~ forsaken years where the solid and powerful principality he constructed from the beginning was driven into decadence because Anne was weak enough to be not only beaten, but _devoured by a human-born nightmare._

His screams weren’t waited for.

Between curse and profanity, his hand quickly went up to the stuttering stone. Too quickly for them to move, but not too fast to the giant to get in the way. Unsurprisingly, the right side of the woman was utterly smashed… but no blood came, only dried dirt and flesh. The giant just fell into the ground, with nothing but a cough and proceeded to instantly pull herself up to the methuselah surprise. And then, a click - " _A created one, an artificial humanoid_ ". It has been a time since the last time he has seen one (“ _1810_ ”, he thinks, “ _in Turkey_ ”). The dizziness of just waking up must have confused him along with the gargoyle being an actual exchanged - This time with total certainty.

“Dorothea, are you all right?” - The golem asked with a mix between coldness and worry while she went behind the changeling.

And while the stone was perplexed for how fast everything happened, they (Maybe was a she?) quickly composed themself, and answered with forced and serious tone - “Yeah, thanks for it”

“So not only exchanged humans, but also prometheans as they call themselves” - A dry smile forms itself in the elder face - “That monarch you mentioned is truly a crazy man. Who kind of idiot would want to mesh with the Fae or the curse of Disquiet”

The Gargoyle furrowed her eyes - “Yes, you are right. Under normal circumstances, no one would want to remain somewhere that could be visited by the Gentry, nor be close to a promethean” - Her tone becomes more calm and clear - “But Kingu is different. He protects us from any danger or threat. Any offense towards anyone of London is an offense towards him”

“So if I kill both of you, will he appear?” - Mithras was able to hide his disgust towards that new “king”, as if a simple nightmare could be able to challenge him. Yes, there were many stories about such creatures - Beings that walked within the dreamlands of the world and feeded upon the fears of humans and non-humans alike -, but none of them could even compare to the fear evoked by a methuselah. Even more, he has found his share of Beasts within his journeys and while most of them remained alive and the most lucky even respected by him, there are also the ones who were screaming for a lesson in humility - A lesson easily given by crushing their bodies.

The changeling recoiled and gulped - “I would not recommend it. There is no way we can beat you, but we can make time, enough time to Kingu to wake up and, along with him, every single unnatural in London”

Mithras watched her unconvinced. He didn’t believe what she said.

"Sir Kingu is by far more powerful and experienced than what you think” - The golem said with uncharestical annoyance. Or maybe expected, if he remembers correctly, the golems were one of the most prone to uncontrollable destruction and are annoyingly durable.

“If I’m not wrong, the blood of faes are completely random in their flavor” - Mithras decided to ignore everything said and just to center himself in killing the two of them.

“Hey, sorry for coming late” - _ohhh, oooohhh. That damned voice. What in three hells was?_... You see, a voice is supposed to have a definite pitch, a definite tone and a definite volume. But this _abomination,_ for a lack of better word, didn’t have anything like that: It sounded like a man, but also like a woman, and a scream, a cry and a laugh; as a mismatch of sounds and voices, giving as result something unbearable to Mithras ears.

But that wasn’t everything, since when the owner of such a voice entered in the darkness of the mithraeum, _he felt and heard **it**_. Apparently, he wasn't anything but a normal young man, not more than 24 years, with slightly long brown hair and eyes, white and skinny (too skinny actually) body and properly dressed for a cold day: A black scarf accompanied with a long sleeved white shirt and brown, closed cardigan, and simple black trousers with dark brown ankle boots. Complete and utterly normal, at most one could say that his eyes are a bit unfocused, seeing something that wasn’t there at all. But for Mithras, every step felt _as hundreds of people taking the same step, hundreds of people breathing erratically and uncoordinated, hundreds of people speaking at the same time_. No, let’s correct it: It didn’t feel like hundreds of people, they were _hundreds_ of people. Such quantity of detail within an extremely small frame as the one of a human only resulted in a blurry abomination, in a hazy, impossible shape to determinate, but that clearly didn’t belong to anything mortal.

But the other two didn’t seem to notice at all the dissonance of sound and appearance, being extremely relieved by the arrival of that thing.

“Lord Prince, you came!” - Stone was extremely happy for the arrival of it, meanwhile Golem went into the background again. “Yeah, yeah, Sorry for coming late. I just got woken up by Strix and” - Its apologizing, happy… thing was interrupted by an interrogative scream of Mithras, tired of its voice. However, it only result in moderate change of voice, just a pair of voices and not hundreds this time, and he just rapidly babbling about how the two women have to visit a “Cory” for the body of the Golem.

The women promptly went away when the Body (“ _Good nickname, actually_ ”) was done talking, leaving it and the elder alone with a tense silence.

“What in hell are you?”

Body gave an awkward laugh - “Yeah, sorry for that. I don’t tend to interact with many beings like you, so I forgot that they can be quite sensitive to how I work” - This time, its voice was fully normal, the one of a normal and mortal man.

“You didn’t answer me” - And while Mithras was thankful for that, he isn’t that idiot to just put down his guard in front of whatever was Body.

“Oh, yeah” - He cleared his voice - “Sorry for not presenting myself before. To put it simply, I’m the second in-command of Kingu, a Begotten like him. I have many names, but I've been going by Prince recently. Nice to meet you, Elder Mithras, and welcome to the year 1996”

Mithras furrowed his eyes at the last part. Body didn’t show in his voice, but there was dramatism and condescension implied in it. An internal, annoyed sigh - “I really don’t know what happened to the Beasts to be so shameless to steal the land of someone else, but you have extra guts to act like that in front of me”

“Eh.. What act?” - Realization falls - “Oh, well, I’m not that sorry for that. But nevertheless, you kind of deserved it. What was the point of attacking someone within their territory? That’s quite childish”

The nerve of someone - “So, you implied all of you are my enemies, right?”

More awkward laughs - “If you want to interpret in that way, it is your problem, but I don’t recommend you to declare yourself an enemy of London. Just think about it” - Prince points out of the Mithraeum - “Every mage, every changeling, every promethean and even the vampires and werewolves of this city will be your enemy. You think you will be able to defeat all of them?”

He shrugs as he ignores everything said - “Nothing too difficult, I can do it easily. Besides, they aren’t the problem here” - The pressure he has been feeling has changed: It wasn’t absolute as before, it weakened, even if just a bit. Although now there is also turbulence, a little spark, along with the pressure.

“Are you interested in my boss? In that case, I wouldn’t even suggest attacking someone in this city. That’s the worst way to put him in a bad mood “ - Even with the relaxed tone, his body twitched slightly. He must have felt that change too.

“Kingu, right?” - He is familiar with that name: The son of Tiamat in sumerian mythology, the one with the duty of killing the gods after they murder their father, Apsu, but that failed in the end - “What a curious selection of names. But you are correct. I want to meet the one who defeated the governing elders and Anne”

“And let me guess: take back your principality? Okay, you do you, I won’t stop you. But just let me check something fast if you truly want to” - Prince quickly exited the Mithraeum, followed by the vampire. Based on his face, it seems Mithras wasn’t the only one with bad humor at the moment.

When they reached the street, the moon shone dimly within buildings of concrete, being almost covered in its totality by the newly rising sun along with the slight sounds of people awake (or waking up) - " _What a splendid hour to wake up_ " traveled his mind with obvious sarcasm, not that he has problems with the situation actually, but it is annoying nonetheless.

He gazes at his surroundings and, although his memories weren’t perfect (The contrary actually), the zone hasn’t changed that much in comparison to what he remembers. Mithras was quite disappointed by such stasis - He was hoping for something as drastic as he woke up in 1069. But on second thought, that was too idealistic since that period was around one thousand years, while this was just of 45 years, even if the century was of extremely fast advance - He heard something about The Spider helping humanity or something about those lines. Anyway, he throws away that line of thought. This wasn’t the moment to lose himself on his mind like he was a neonate again.

Looking at his side, the Body was trying to do something - Closed eyes, slightly frowned expression and an almost nonexistent smell of mixed salt, grass and stagnated water. He didn’t say anything, but that didn’t mean he questioned what the Beast was doing since, whatever he was doing, it made the pressure and turbulence disappear. No feeling of being chained anymore. Either way, as fast as the feeling disappeared, Prince opened his eyes and his happy and relaxed expression came back.

“What is supposed to be that? Telepathy or something similar?”

Curious eyes moved towards the elder while the nightmare made signals to follow him - “Yes. I was talking with Kingu about you. He gave you permission to enter his lair. You’re pretty lucky… or really not”

“He is displeased right?” - “ _That could explain the bizarre feeling_ ” he thought. He has known some beings that were able to affect the weather or air at will, so a sort of entity that was able to reflect its emotions within the atmosphere wouldn’t be a surprise, but certainly concerning

“You’re a smart cookie. No wonder why the Boss was interested in meeting you. But, yes. He can be quite moody and picky and, for the bad luck of everyone else, his mood can affect the weather” - Even with the annoyed tone, Prince didn’t drop his small smile - “But you get used to it. And not that he is evil or something similar, by the contrary, he is quite protective of everyone”

Everyone, eh? - “That includes the artificial one of before. But why? No matter where they go, they always bring ruin and rot. Even worse considering that golem is likely not the only one.”

“Oh, yes, you don’t know her name. It is Nesim by the way. She’s a recent addition and was invited by the Doc. You know him, right? Gregory Wildham” - A shrug of the elder. He isn’t surprised by that. The doctor has been with him as far as he can remember, being actually an acquaintance of Veddartha himself, and helping from time to time. There was a long time where they stopped all contact until the creation of the Museum, where Gregory was one of its benefactors.

“If you know him, then you’re already know the answer”

“I’m trying to be affable, you know? But, again, you aren’t one to talk leisurely” - A sigh of the nightmare - “Anyway, we accept them because… well, I think it is better if Kingu explains that himself. It’s quite personal. Anyway, I don’t recommend you to be too violent or bite too much towards others like today. You got lucky today, after all, this city is neutral territory for every faction and species. An action of violence is a serious infringement”

He thought about using Dominate or Presence to make him answer with actual helpful information, but decided against. The feeling of pressure came back and that likely means that, somehow, Kingu was conscious. It wouldn’t be wise - “Neutral, so there’s no outside interference. Not even from the Camarilla or Sabbat?”

“Nope. The only authority here is Kingu and the ones who he designed as the guardians, like me or Nesim. The last time that someone tried to conquer London was 20 years ago, a camarilla coterie guided by 6th and 7th generation...” - A shiver ran through Prince’s body - “It didn’t end well for them”

Completely and utterly destroyed. Mithras doesn’t know if that’s a surprise or not.

“What about the others? Werewolves, hunters, mages and such?”

“Simple: Everyone is welcomed here as long as they don’t do willful harm to others or threaten the masquerade. The only exception is the True Fae for obvious reasons” - That smile didn’t do anything to soothe the pressure.

Prince didn’t ignore the finishing silence of Mithras, likely originated for the returning pressure, since his questions and talk became more scarce. Soon, that monologue stopped existing, and only the sound of air was filling the newborn morning. However, the tense (and uncomfortable), silent walking was interrupted when the pair immediately reached the… river?

“Truly a short walk, right?” - Mithras watched as his companion entered the river with a confused gaze.

“What are you doing?” - He knew about the lairs of the Beasts, being similar to the vampires’ havens, the difference residing in that lairs weren’t physical at all, but a realm created within the Umbra, the spirit world, by the will of the nightmares. Most of the time, they were connected with one location in the physical world. But he didn’t feel anything special or unnatural about the river, no connection at all.

“Well, as you can see, London can be considered the treasure of Kingu and, as such, he can connect any part of it with the lair as long it is a body of water big enough” - Prince gives a proud smile with only his head being above water, only to change to a smirk - “Oh, don’t tell me the thing about vampires unable to cross water is actually true”

Mithras grinds his teeth as he watches the nightmare with annoyance - “That’s the only way in?” - Truth to be told, he doesn’t trust that Beast and he isn’t that idiot to dive into water with a possible enemy, even more of someone with such capacity and reaching. But even so, the feeling of untrust is greatly contradicted by the overall behavior and strength of his companion and the observations he made: Besides the two of them, there wasn’t anyone else, either human or inhuman. Yet, he can’t trust anything with the pressuring feeling, with the sensation of being chained. Even if it was irrational, something that the battlefield and strategy teached him was to never disesteem his own guts.

“Sorry, but Boss is an extreme hermit and he never goes out. He only opens gates when he thinks it’s necessary and never leaves them open. Even if you’re a truly estimated guest, he won’t change that” - Prince’s face falls - “I wish I could help, but he isn’t going to be only angry if I open a gate to his lair by myself”

A resigned sigh - “What a headache. Kingu really sounds like one of Camarilla's elders” - And while his external face was one of annoyance, internally he half smiled with his frustration. If he was truly like an elder, this is going to be one of the worst meetings and hassles within his experience - At least he is going to have a bit fun with it.

“That’s a way to put it” - A laugh precedes the words - “So, are you going or no?”

Mithras remained silent for a couple of seconds, debating the two answers. Based on everything said and experimented, there is no method to bring the nightmare outside without incurring in his wrath, and the only method of entering is by a distrustful water. A couple of seconds more and the silence remained.

“Hey, are you in-”

“You win” - Mithras certainly was not addressing Prince, though the beast didn’t notice. He let his phrygian cap in the ground with care. If he didn’t take the risk, then things won’t advance at all, even when he didn’t like the option at all - “I’m going in”

“Okay, just follow me then” - A smile was the last thing Mithras saw before diving into the river reluctantly.

* * *

The water wasn’t right at all. By all mean, it didn’t have any sense: It was impossible to see something, it was just too dark and not in a physical way; it felt suffocating, even when Mithras didn’t require air or anything like that; and it was too crushing that he was certain this abyss wanted to rip him apart. And they have dived just around _1-2 minutes at most._ Whatever was this, it wasn’t certainly normal water - or better said, it wasn’t water at all.

But his companion didn't notice such things at all, looking totally the contrary to Mithra: A fish within its pond. Taking into account the fact that Prince likely did this hundreds of times, it wasn’t surprising, but that didn’t make Mithras any less mad. Thanks to this, if he were to kill someone first, it would be that goddamn nightmare.

However, the worst wasn’t the water or the willful ignorance of Body, but that something was watching them. Mithras didn’t have the capacity to see them clearly due to the darkness and dirtiness of the water and their velocity, but he was able to discern some details: Extremely long and flailing outlines, opaque yet bright green eyes and deformed, pale scales or skin. Those were the normal ones, but the worst he has seen was a _spherical thing_ , having uncountable tentacles and extensions. Whatever they were - certainly not normal animals -, it seemed that they were from the abyssal depths and, on second thought, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were actually within the ocean - It will fit everything perfectly.

The only good thing that Mithras was able to think of was that he at least knows what kind of nightmare Kingu is: A Makara, a fear of the water and depth. But that was one the greatest overestimations he has even done in his (un)life. By all means, accepting to come was one the biggest mistakes he has done - Almost blind, unable to hear something besides the dead water and with a heavy body, swimming along with things that best him in everything. He could try to control them but, being honest with himself, is likely to end in failure.

… But that doesn’t sound like him. What was he thinking? His moves weren’t that limited nor the creatures seemed that strong. So why was there that doubt? Now his head was slightly hurting somehow thanks to these thoughts. Whatever was the origin of the doubt, he realized, has been affecting from the _very beginning_ \- His passivity, the pressure and being more contained than usual. Maybe this ~~_extreme_~~ situation was the catalyst for this realization. And Kingu was the (almost certain) origin of it. Whatever was his motive, he was affecting him, _controlling_ him.

“We reached the surface” - But as if reading his train of thoughts and emotions, Prince interrupted him with a relaxing and liberating wind.

A dark and dusky sky, of one of the darkest and notorious reds he has ever seen, with an perpetually hiding sun. Such tone was unnatural in every way, more akin to coagulated blood than any celestial red, yet strangely enticing to gaze with the dark stars and diluted, almost translucent clouds. Then, Mithras looked at the rest: A bridge, or maybe a dock, of pale wood with its poles extending towards the black and unchanging (It was stagnated?) sea, even if he never saw such a thing while swimming, and along with it a conveniently set of ladders.

“Well, here is where you have to go alone” - With a calm tone, Body was parting - “To be honest, I don’t want to be present in the reunion”

“What a coward” - Mithra said with a tired tone, feeling less suffocated, while climbing - “I’m hope I don’t have to see you ever again”

Prince laughs - “Sorry for not telling you about the sea, but be honest: Would have you come if I told you about how it was?”

And while his suspicions were right, that didn’t prevent his killing desires to grow, even more with the Beast’s vain attitude, but now it wasn’t the moment for releasing them - “Just disappear before I change my mind” - And with that cutting goodbye, the methuselah began to walk away.

Stoic or maybe done with the change of scenery, Mithras finally saw a floating cottage of two floors at the end of the bridge made by the same pale wood, but too big to be able to float or be sustained by the clearly decadent materials. Obviously, this realm didn’t follow any law of common sense - as one could see with the behavior of the “water” that was truly unable to moist anything, being proof of his dry clothes and the wood -, so it was largely unsurprising for him. But at least, within the sickening and stagnated aura of this world, he was reaching a resolution rapidly - The less he passed in this unsettling world, the better.

As one could correctly suppose, the insides of the house were similar to the exterior: Decadent, almost rotting and extremely empty, with just two opposing armchairs of the same pale, age-worn red tone and a strangely well kept coffee table. In the right corner, a staircase leading to the second floor, believed to be as empty as the first by Mithras. In fact, nothing to see, nothing to do - Just the vampire alone.

“ _So nothing, no **one**_...” - A chillingly monotone tone filled the silence, secretly offended and irritated to the utmost limit by the childishness of the supposed monarch. In a vain attempt he tried to reason with his emotions: If he was truly similar to an elder, he was bound to do some sort of dramatic apparition. But his thoughts were almost consumed by emotion. But within the same time of consumption, his rational part was rewarded and it dominated again.

As if it was an earthquake, the sea and cottage fluttered and shivered at their extreme and the feeling of pressure came as strong as the new shadow covered every single window and trail of light - Absolute. But, As suddenly everything came, everything suddenly disappeared. The sickeningly rotten red light filled the house now, but this time with a new addition: A old man with gray, hoary hair and multitude of wrinkles, giving rise to a distorted and cartoonish face - Maybe around 70-90 years? It was difficult to discern at that point. At least in the clothes he fared better: A smooth white shirt along with an elegant, dark blue tuxedo with a black necktie - A classic image of an old man… if not for the fact that everything about him screamed wrongness and unnaturality, in similar fashion to an… Mithras decided to abandon that thought.

“I’m genuinely sorry for my belated apparition, but I hope you can forgive and understand the reason behind such an occurrence: If you had been outside when I manifested this shape, I feared you would have been dragged by the abyss. Certainly non-lethal nor harmful, but an inconvenience nonetheless” - A slow and peaceful voice, neither grave nor acute, even showing a bit of concern. But the serious and inquisitive expression didn't waver at all - “You have my most utmost thankfulness for having accepted my invitation, Methuselah Mithras, sir and prince of the ancient Londinium, childer of the Antediluvian Veddartha”

His guts (or whatever that forgotten feeling was) stirred. The old man's presence was enough to grim the room even more as if it was even possible: A salty, stagnated smell emanated from Kingu's body and permeated the entirety of the house, along with the dry and suffocating feeling that, by all means, Mithras shouldn't feel. But whatever that Makara was doing, the vampire wasn't going to be left behind. And such, promptly followed a second overwhelming presence, the only result being a reddish squirm _behind_ the skin of the nightmare.

Kingu watched with an unchanging stern look as Mithras sat in the opposite chair, unfazed by the change of aura of his guest. This only won a frustrated gnashing of teeths by the elder. Dominate was bound to fail against such a nightmare it seemed, but at least the feeling of pressure diminished. If it was by his own presence or because Kingu noticed it, it was unknown to Mithras and, truth to be told, he hoped it was the former possibility.

“I know both of us have our questions about each other sir Kingu” - A neutral and respectful tone. He won’t take any risk as long as he doesn’t know the Beast’s true capabilities for now. If Dominate didn’t work, it is likely that Presence won’t either - “So let’s do this discussion fast: What did you do?”

The nightmare blinked - “It seems it was wrong of me to suppose I would be able to do my questions first taking into consideration the drastic changes experienced in the city. But nevertheless, I shall answer your questions with utmost honesty” - Kingu falls silent for a couple of seconds, thinking from where he should begin, and then he said - “The best place to begin with is the last thing you remember: The german bombing against the United Kingdom. After one of these occurred in your haven, you fall into Torpor and Anne Bowesley takes the role of the acting prince of London”

Mithras grumbled - “I already know that. Your servants were quite explanatory about that part. You ended up devouring them and keeping the position. What I want to know is how you unificate all the other races? As far as I know, the very fact you were able to create a neutral zone is ludicrous”

Kingu took a thoughtful position and his eyes frowned - “While I will answer such questions in due time, I must do an amendment first: I did not devour the regent vampires, they are preserved within the most safe place in the city, only known to me. Such things as destroying, ravaging and devouring are not only wasteful and senseless, but utterly immoral. Precious beings as them should be appreciated and understood, not wasted”

Such elongated and (attempt of) poetic voice was starting to annoy Mithras. How difficult is it to speak normally? Not that the elder fares better actually with his accent and tone, but that goes for later. For now, he is only going to focus on the matter at hand - “What do you mean by preserved?”

Mithras shivered minuscule (He hopes) as the feeling grew more suffocating and oppressive - “As I said before, I will answer your questions with the entirety of honesty I can muster. And as such, I’m going to answer only once this query: Such matter is not of your concern in the slightest. So I suggest, for both of our sakes, to cast away such thoughts and curiosity” - And soon as Kingu finished talking, the feeling disappeared again as if the nightmare tried to correct his mood.

“Extremely secretive, aren’t you?” - For now he is going to play according to his rules, but that doesn’t mean he is going to be submissive. He has an idea on what to do now, even if he doesn’t know where the ex-prince and the others are - “Just go back to my original question then”

Kingu's expression returned to his previous monotone - “Very well then. The first thing to say is that since the beginning the local prometheans and changelings were easily convinced to align with me. They were, and are, deeply thankful and blissful to have someone who can protect them of their curses” - His eyes lighted with something almost indiscernible and ephemeral along with a faint relaxation in his stern look. Even if it was short-lived and quickly replaced by his cold demeanor, Mithras was able to see such fondness.

“So you were able to solve the Disquiet problem along with keep to line the True Fae. I’ve to admit, is quite astounishing” - Mithtras is neither stupid nor arrogant enough to not admit wonder and surprise towards such achivements.

Kingu gives a short and dry laugh - “I’m flattered by such a compliment, lord Mithras, but the Disquiet curse wasn’t difficult to find an answer at all. In essence and symptoms, it’s quite similar to your kindred lust for Vitae: Both vampires and prometheans are reanimated corpses, with a deficient soul unable to generate Ephemera. And such, the remedy is to constantly supply vital energy to them and in that way avoid the involuntary absorption of the surrodings’s energy”

A surprised snort - "At least the actual monarch is smart and not obsessed with politics" - Fragments of how the Camarilla leadership was came to his mind. It's a certainty for him that remains equally static and boring as usual.

"It would be wrong to say that I'm not interested in politics and diplomacy. Another thing is to say that I'm skillful at it" - Another dry laugh - "In such cases, my assistant Prince is my advisor in those matters. Not that the Sabbat or the Others require such a skill, being nothing but a visit in their dreams or in presence more than enough to dissuade them"

"I suppose Body was the one to conduct the meetings with the Camarilla" - Mithras doesn't try to hard to hide his distaste against the non-present Beast - "That would explain why there was one attempt after you were settled"

The eyes of Kingu frowned but, strangely, the pressure didn't come back - "Body is a strange but accurate name for Prince certainly, but I would appreciate it if you didn't call him as such. Furthermore, I was the one who directly organized and conducted the diplomacy missions. Regrettably, it just happened that our goals and policies didn't converge"

Taking into account that many of the recent generations were either self-absorbed, greedy, haughty or some combination of the three, Mithras wasn’t surprised. Although letting one of the most powerful and influential cities of the occult world be stolen without putting up a fight was unthinkable - “I’m not surprised by such an outcome, I would have done the same in their place. At any rate, I won’t do any promises about the sobriquet I put on your servant, as he puts it: ‘he kind of deserved it’

A sigh - “While I appreciate the honesty, I’m quite displeased about it. Nevertheless, it is important for me to say the Prince isn’t a servant but an assistant and companion, at least I would like it if you contemplate that difference when speaking about him. And by that matter, I would also like it if you treated every inhabitant of the city as a dear, precious servant of mine. While I forgive accidents of early since you recently woke up, I certainly hope such things never happen again. They are of untold worth for me after all”

" _A treasure, then_ ". Body mentioned that London was the “treasure” of the Makara, and along with its reticence of speaking about the whereabouts of the previous elders (likely part of his "collection" too), It was crystal clear that Kingu was one of the greedy kind of Beasts. A small laugh. Based on his previous comments, the nightmare surely is obsessed with stealing and storing knowledge and information for himself alone. Key word being _stealing_.

“Hmm… Did I say something that merits a laugh, or maybe reminded you of something?”

Mithras took a time before answering positively - “It seems the obsession with the concept of family runs deeply within the Beasts” - Even if in the end, they are ready to close their jaws with their “family” inside. For the vampire it was quite clear what the nightmare is going to do: A greedy spectre that wishes to steal the memories of the elder, because that is the only way to “appreciate and understand” them - Any other option is immoral and incorrect. He truly was foolish to accept the invitation.

Kingu looks thoughtfully at him - “Do you think so too? Well, it is not unexpected for us to hold such a concept in high esteem, for we’re all the children of Mother. It’s just expected the fact I try to protect my younger siblings”

So not only the greedy kind of nightmare, but also one that holds the foolish opinion of being a “community”, a “family” - As if that was possible to begin with it. After all, they have lost any form of humanity a long time ago, or never had it to begin with in the case of nightmares.

“I’ve never understood the obsession with calling everyone a ´family’. In the end, we all know any form of kinship is impossible”

A sigh with a pitiful tone - “I suppose you aren’t able to see the same things I do. That is truly one of the most pitiables tragedies I’ve ever seen” - However, Mithras intervened before Kingu finished.

“Be honest: It is certain that the both of us have seen many beings, independent of race, being betrayed by those ‘close’ to them, alliance and friendships broken by fear, jealousy and ambition” - Even with such cynical view, Mithra’s tone didn’t waver in his seriousness - “Even the humans themselves don’t fare any better than us a that”

Kingu breathes deeply and, while he seems annoyed, the pressure hasn’t come back yet - “While such facts may be certain, that isn’t a reason to grow with a despotical and tyrannical disposition. If we, the leaders and overseers of the world, develop in such philosophies, it only will bring ruin. And as such, our duty is-”

“Is to guide and transform the world, to shape it in a way that truly represents the ideals of people? Was that what you were going to say?” - Mithras lets a smirk arise - “You are truly similar to Veddartha. Both of you speak about the duty you two have, about the guide and help you offer, yet too ready to take everything you see fit only for you, right?” - Memories of his Sire and its natural manipulative, egotistical nature, for only “its” could actually describe the nature of the Antediluvian - “You may speak against tyranny or despotic power, but that doesn’t make you any less self-indulgent, _collector_ ”

By all means, Mithras stop caring about the actual circumstances. The chained feeling has disappeared for a long time and now he has recuperated his old and common bravado, his confidence. That isn’t to say that the vampire is going to fight the nightmare right now, but he’s going to take advantage of it: Body said that Kingu can be quite moody, and such take impulsive decisions. If it is true, then the vampire can influence his decisions if he chooses the right words. An extremely risky and stupid plan, but not that the other option is a choice actually: Whatever being “ _preserved_ ” means, it isn’t good for him at all.

And as one expected, this wasn’t easy at all. Kingu didn’t respond at all, with just a vacant expression watching the inmovile body of the elder. Mithras snorts. “What happened? Don’t tell me you are having a realization about this right now? It’s something you should have known from the beginning, right?”

Silence.

“What a waste. But at least if you don’t try to negate it, I can offer you help with your go-”

“Truly an insufferable guest” - A cold monotone, and while notoriously human, it still had a slight animal tone to it - “I offer you my hospitality, my forgiveness about the crimes you did, and even a last moment to satiate your curiosity of the epoch in which you slept. And yet, the only thing you do is to stretch the limits of my patience, to insult and disgrace me. I wasn’t hoping for this meeting to go smooth, but this is the point in which I limit my patience.”

Not only was his prediction correct, but Kingu was by far more easy to annoy than what he hoped with the previous self-control ( ~~And even so, he didn’t abandon his elongated speech~~ ). Now, the hard part comes.

“I don’t know why you’re surprised, the doctor should have told me how I was from the beginning. But nevermind that, what are you going to do? Devour me as the other rulers and make me part of your collection? That’s nothing but a joke. You call everyone part of your family yet too anxious to press your teeths into them” - The vampire began to utilize Dominate not to control him, but to influence him and make his point clear. The more irritated and irrational, the better to give a subliminal order, something the nightmare believed to be a decision of his, even if it was a mere suggestion.

But Kingu didn’t seem to notice his talking or ignored it on purpose - It didn’t matter at any rate - as the light grew more dark and opaque, the deep red disappearing bit by bit. His body did also seem to grow more snow white, any form of hair falling while his skin grew onto or transformed in scales, and every step and movement of his, independent of how small, reverberated in every corner of the house. “ _Even in the end, he doesn’t stop his dramatism_ ” crosses the mind of Mithras.

“At the end, you know that everything you say is fake. There’s no truly a single thing you can call a family, and even your treasure is but a pile of trash you collect to make you feel better” - Indeed, he was entering in unknown land, but taking into account his experiences with Beasts (and beings) similar to Kingu, it’s one of the best opportunities he has - “You wish so much to be human again that you play family with the oth-”

Mithras smiled as the last straw broke: The light disappeared completely as the previous shape of man dissolved into an elongated, unending white serpent, or maybe an eel - Gigantic fang and albino scales, with bright and diffuminated but, paradoxically, dark red eyes. Endless in every sense, such a beast only belonged to the depths of human belief and history, to times long time passed and forgotten for the live ones but that Mithras remembers perfectly: To the beginnings of creations, myths and legends of endless, bottomless and primal darkness and the monsters that inhabited it, and believed to have been destroyed but the deep down, within everyone hearts, still existed. Lotan, Rahab, Tannin, _Kingu_ \- The Leviathan itself.

And soon, Mithras saw himself again within the stagnated (and putrid) sea. An endless abyss of dark, cold and suffocating water, but this time he was prepared, this time he wasn’t to just dive passively and follow someone, he is going to control and influence and dominate this pit with all the might he has. An overwhelming presence covered the sea as a bright and blinding light, with the only heralded message being “ _banish me of this realm_ ” as a small suggestion in comparison to the endless water, but a powerful one at that.

But as suddenly as appeared, it was easily silenced and killed - Dark, red eyes illuminated the endless pit. And the suffocation… no, it wasn’t suffocation, it was something else: Chains, pressure and shadows. Something was trying to enter his mind, and Mithras could muster only noise, unable to make senses at all of what was happening yet understanding it at perfection: He was going to be dragged into hell - Into the dark, cold and dead world of dark.

He _wanted to run_ , he _wanted to escape_. He wanted something he hadn't even felt when alive, and now when he is dead he wished for it, when it didn’t make sense at all: To be a “coward” and run. But his body didn’t move at all, didn’t even flinch as the hellmouth of the Leviathan opened slowly, letting a dark yet faint red light - Even more noise invaded his mind, and body, and eyes, and ears. _Everything was nothing but dark noise with soft, silent and calm red light calling him._

_A soft, sweet song ~~from when he was a human~~. It was soothing, it made the noise recede and his mind somnolent, full of weight and shadows. Mithras didn’t know or remember such a voice - It wasn’t from his parents, siblings or relatives, (or what he remembers of them), nor from his favorite followers or servants, and even less of the kindreds he has met. Yet, for some reason, it was strangely nostalgic and familiar, full of an odd and relaxing Deja Vu, and he was curious about it. He wanted to know why it felt so calm._

_Looking so peaceful and calm, he directed his gaze towards the entrance and watched it attentively. The song stopped and only a red silence remained… And he **saw it**_ , he saw too deep within the red and hellish pits and _**it noticed him and smiled at him**_. Whatever was _**it**_ , it resonated within his mind and soul, drove his very existence to the limit and everything went senseless: His ear and eyes too illogical and sensitive to the silent and lightless abyss, his mind unable to process anything and going crazy as if it was too much and even his body, with the added weight and pressure of the water, moved to fast to make sense.

Meanwhile, the Leviathan was contorting itself in seemingly painful ways, letting screams and roars escape as he moved erratically and the water went into a roaring, savage new storm. The sea was transforming into a maelstrom of screams as something was trying to escape from the serpent's mouth - A humanoid lump from which it was impossible to detail something else. And then more and more of those lumps and things began to crawl outside its mouth, with small and almost soundless whinings and moans of distress and hope.

Mithras vaguely recognized such events, but he was able to catch a glimpse of familiar things - Kindreds, werewolves, monstrous humanoids and humans touched by the arcane. But as if it was a dream (Not that the realm of the nightmare was any different from them by that matter), the strange and unprocessable bodies, the darkness and the stagnated water disappeared in dust and hazinnes, and the air - _fresh, cold air_ \- hits Mithras’ body, eyes opening to a dark night sky with a shining crescent moon, along with the tide of water.

His mind didn’t process the strange time shift, but the change of places: the edge of the river he entered before. But this time, the vampire didn’t feel the pressure of before nor the watchful gaze - He has truly escaped from the Beast. A small laugh and smirk were let go as Mithras walked towards the street, everything else was ultimately unnecessary for the moment and his focus wasn’t in celebrating right now or similar things. Furthermore, his plan succeeded in the most basic sense possible and he had too much luck involved with it - Admitting this as a victory would have been a direct hit towards his pride.

But going back to that moment, Mithras has to admit he had severely underestimated the Beast. The elder has to admit, resigning to all pride for this only moment, Kingu was at the same level of Antediluvian - The same nature, the same aura and the same reaching. Whatever the Leviathan has done, it clearly has abandoned all pretense of humanity and of nightmares to become something more primal and powerful than his other kin. He shivers at the memory of the mouth and the _**red light,**_ but whatever it was, he has to thank that overload of his senses. It was strong enough to make his mind wild, releasing all of his might to control and wake up those things.

“ _Preserved? What a fucking lie_ ” Truly, one of the worst falsehoods he has ever heard. Whatever it has done with that collection of beings, it didn’t preserve them at all but devoured them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have crawled from its stomach due to his calling. _~~All of those beings, from Fae to Mages to Undead: If he hadn’t freaked out thanks to **that** , what would have happened to him? ~~_

But by all means, this isn’t the moment to ponder about success, failure or lies. His priority number one is to get out of the city and reach any other city fast, independent of the dominant faction. As much as he wants to recover his London, he isn’t that stupid to remain in a openly hostile domain with its ruler being an abomination beyond his capacity. Without doubt, this is going to be a long mission, but one he is going to win with all certainty - No matter what Mithras has to do.

_~~**Something** has woken up within him, and he knows it, but doesn’t want to think or even muse that fact. The **smile** is well within his heart and soul, singing and calling for something unknown, but what exactly is calling for, the methuselah will know soon, when the sky and stars become red too.~~ _

* * *

The ocean became serene and calm once more, with its silent and stagnated aura, sky and water - A rewarding ode toward the efforts of its master and ruler, who very much appreciates the gift of his soul. Nonetheless, that doesn’t make him any less annoyed at what happened before with its guest and how he had to oust the vampire from his realm, founding he was the source of the distorted treasure of his, but that now it was under his control again.

_Ah_ , the Leviathan very much wished to end the elder and his foolish, rotten words so much, even if it was a complete destruction of precious, forgotten knowledge, independent of how immoral or inappropriate it is. But he is neither stupid or blind to see the favoritsim signals of Mother and how she wished him to see another day. After all, there is no other way in which the ancient was able to break his birthright within his very own lair.

However, while he isn’t going to kill him, he isn’t going to let the pale one off so easily with the offenses and insults he has done and said. Even if it was childish and wishful, he knows what to do to make him paid.

“ _ **PrInCe, I HavE An ORdEr**_ ”

“ _Follow him, right?_ " - His younger sibling answered with a slightly know-all tone. He may not have been in the disastrous meeting, but surely he wasn’t ignorant of its development. The younger nightmare must have felt how it went, and also must have watched how the Sea Dragon expelled the vampire.

“ ** _NoT OnLY tHAt, bUt mAke Him feel ReGRet aNd feaR_** ”

“ _Aren’t you asking too much? I mean, I can stalk and distress many other races and beings, but a 4th generation is a bit beyond my capabilities_ ” - Kingu didn’t lose time with his roar as soon as he finished hearing the self-deprecating words - “ _Ok, you win. But you should go outside more, you’re getting more cranky as more years pass_ ”

“ _ **SToP losInG tIme AnD juST foLLow hIm**_ ”

“ _Patience, good god, and I’m not even religious_ ” - An awkward but genuine laugh - “ _Anyway, I’m on the way. Good luck with everything and bye_ ” - With a carminic tone, the talk was ended.

Regrettably for Mithras, he was so centered in escaping from Kingu that he forgot to ask what Prince was. If Kingu was the absolute king of London, then Prince was obviously the prince of the city, with untold names, faces and bodies in his short history. In fact, the very full name he adopted for himself was nothing but a title reflecting his true nature: The Prince of Many Faces. After all, with untold masks and identities, one doesn’t have a right to a true name - A logic the Inguma easily accepted as a fact when he awakened.

To this thought, a proud feeling was born within the bosom of the Makara, clearly demonstrating how wrong was the Methuselah to speak about such things like the supposed egotism of his, pretending to play family with others. Both his body and heart burned codly at the memories of the talk, on how _~~correct~~_ wrong it was - He wasn’t doing this for just self gratification, but of genuine concern for everyone.

~~_What did the elder believe himself to be to bring light in this abyss? To disturb his deep slumber with unwanted emotion?_ ~~

Yet, with the self-reassurances and the calming singing of his children, the ocean grew more heavy and stagnated - A reflection of his own wrath and not anxiousness this time. It doesn’t matter from which point it is seen, Kingu doesn’t hold resentment for what he always was, but to what he thought he was - A fragile, ephemeral and fleshy shell. It doesn't matter if they have the same appearance (not body, for that is irrelevant, or essence, for that is crucial), an illusion is still an illusion, and growing attached to one is nothing but extreme foolishness.

_~~Indeed, he is an extreme fool~~ _

Though, truth to be told, Kingu considers such realization to be an ironic natural consequence… No, a better word would be “natural side-effect”. After all, even when he was only conscious about the falsehoods of men, he naturally felt disconnected from his illusory fellows and acquaintances, from what they built and created. So when the truth was clear to his eyes, everything made sense of what he felt (and feels) - He was never a human to begin with it. His apparent “humanity” nothing but cocoon to his actual and truest self.

_~~Yet, why does it hurt when he thinks about those times?~~ _

And then again, his thoughts and mind circle back again into the same self-justifications towards the perceived lies. Tiresome and hurtful to his mind _~~along with the indescribable feeling of his heart~~_ , he decided to leave past the events of the day for now. Not that he has sleep or drowsiness, but it's still the best way to restore his peace of mind, one extremely important asset by the foreseeable future since Prince, the main guardian and deliverer of the law, will be absent. Fragments of the beginning of his government come to his mind - He hopes nothing too drastic like that happens again.

And such, deep within this sea, the Dragon decided to sleep, awaiting for the new day. Infinitely vast, yet extremely calm with mellow snoring. An abyssal ethereal white, a beast belonging deep within the human experience, where the sands of time are unimportant and never had meaning. A place where he could take care of his fake treasure, of his attempts to give meaning again to his life and found what he has lost to time and death.

But what he lost to destiny is something that can never be found again.

Cold, dark and _**empty.**_

**Author's Note:**

> Any recommendation or critic?  
> I consider it was a bit rushed in some parts like "I need to get this scene done" or something similar. There are some strange spellings (I'm not native english speaker, so I'm not surprised). And the river and diving parts are a bit stupid and OOC, but as the narration said: It has to be done or the story isn't going to advance. Overall, I think I could have been a lot better but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy writing it. In fact, the Kingu's scenes are my favorite - I genuinely liked them.  
> So, bye.


End file.
